47 Seconds and a Crack Fic Later
by klscastle
Summary: Kate and Rick the day after Monday's 47 Seconds episode. Aka; The Musings of a Frustrated Fic Writer. I hope it makes you laugh.


_Disclaimer: They belong to another, I'm just playing. Also, I apologize in advance, I'll be starting therapy soon._

_A/N: Title says it all. This week, I needed to laugh…_

**47 Seconds and a Crack Fic Later, Aka the Musings of a Frustrated Fic Writer**

It was Tuesday morning at the precinct when they got the call a body dropped. Castle wasn't answering his cell, so Kate left him a voicemail about the new case and where he could meet them. Something was going on with him, he'd been acting strangely. The night before, Castle had declined her drink offer and then had left suddenly. He usually jumped at the chance to go for a drink after they finished work. She assumed he'd talk about what was bothering him when he was ready. It just wasn't like him, to close up if something was on his mind. She hoped whatever it was, could be easily fixed.

Castle met them at the crime scene, slightly subdued and sans coffee, she noted, and although he greeted them as usual, the lack of java sent up a red flag. Ryan, Esposito and Lanie all noticed it too. They shot each other looks, but didn't comment. Lanie, however, caught Kate's eye, silently questioning Castle's behavior. Kate shrugged her shoulders in reply, since she hadn't a clue. Something was seriously wrong with her partner, it wasn't her imagination, and she planned to ask him about it once they finished up.

Housekeeping had discovered the victim's body on her hotel room bed, propped up on pillows, facing the TV. She was in her pajamas and the television was still on. It was tuned to ABC. Lanie estimated the TOD at approx 10 hours, but said she would give them a more specific time after she examined the body back at the lab.

The scene was particularly gruesome; a regular bloodbath. From the look of things, the woman had been gagged before she'd been stabbed in the heart. The murder weapon was nowhere to be found. Her mascara left black tear tracks down both cheeks. She'd been crying before she died; it must have been a slow and painful death. The detectives had seen this sort of thing before, oddly enough, usually on a Tuesday; however, this case was particularly bizarre.

The room was trashed and showed signs of a struggle. The Vic had put up a fight before she was brought down. Ryan searched the victim's wallet and identified her as Karlie Lynn Salinger, forty-seven, from Phoenix. She was probably visiting the Big Apple on some sort of business, judging from the clothes hanging in the closet. It didn't appear to have been a robbery; her jewelry, credit cards, luggage and laptop were all still in the room.

There were some rather unusual items lying around the body which left the detectives scratching their heads. There was an empty notebook, on its cover, scribbled the words, "Fan-Fiction". The insides had been torn out, the pages ripped to shreds. Tiny pieces lay scattered along the floor. There were a dozen or so broken, mangled pencils and pens everywhere, and the broken television remote control, its parts smashed, was found strewn across the room. Two half-empty bottles lay prone on the floor next to the bed; one, Vodka, the other, Extra Strength Excedrin Migraine, along with an empty box of Kleenex. While looking through her luggage, Esposito came across a well-worn copy of Castle's book, "Heat Wave", bookmarked to page 105, which he tossed over to Castle.

"Interesting, the victim was a fan of mine." He said to Esposito. "Well then, now it's personal."

Clutched in the victim's left hand was the business card from a store in the East Village, named Madame Nikola. It didn't say what the shop sold. They didn't know what to make of any of it or how it related to their case.

The detectives diligently took notes, for they knew, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, these items might provide important clues. They were especially interested in the shredded notebook pages; unfortunately, it would take CSU some time to glue the tiny pieces back together. Everything was bagged for evidence.

The crime scene left Kate with a nagging feeling she was missing something and Castle, well, he couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt the same way. They were both determined to get to the truth. They returned to the precinct to start their investigation.

Castle accompanied Kate back to the precinct, but was unusually quiet and distant. She asked him what was wrong, but he told her he simply had a lot on his mind. She decided to wait it out, but wondered if it was something she'd done. Again, the woman didn't have a clue.

Ryan got to work checking with the other occupants of the hotel and its staff to see if anyone could shed some light on the murder, meanwhile Esposito checked the victim's financials. Kate and Castle set up the murder board and reviewed the evidence, but there wasn't much to go on.

Castle Googled Madame Nikola from her business card and let out a low whistle. The shop sold some rather unusual items, which had Castle internally dancing a happy jig. Ridiculous supernatural theories were under development. He almost forgot he was supposed to be mad at Kate, so a couple of the theories were verbalized. Kate reminded him they were looking for facts, not fiction, they only dealt in truths. This really killed his buzz.

He almost started to tell her what was on his mind, but thought better of it, deciding this wasn't the proper time or place. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to continue working this closely with her much longer. It hurt too much. He'd suspected she remembered for a while now, he wasn't stupid, but last night still came as a shock.

He'd asked her about it one time when they were walking to a crime scene. She'd been holding her side; he'd asked her how therapy was going, and if she had remembered anything more from the shooting. He knew she wasn't being one hundred percent truthful then, but could tell she wasn't ready to talk about it. Last night, hearing her say she remembered everything from when she was shot, something inside of him snapped. He hated that she lied to him. If she could admit it to a suspect, she sure as hell should be admitting it to him by now. He had to figure out a way to work through this anger bubbling from within. The concerned and worried looks Kate kept giving him made it even harder to be around her today. He'd been wrong about her feelings for him. It had all been a one way street, and the last thing he wanted now was her pity.

Tough as it was, this was an interesting case, and he wanted to help solve it, so he figured he'd see how the rest of the day went. At the very least, he was going to try so he went back to looking at the website. Madame Nikola advertised proudly she was of Hungarian Gypsy descent, and could solve all your problems, lovelorn or otherwise. The shop specialized in love potions and spells of all kinds. Their website guaranteed satisfaction or your money back. Castle was impressed by her good business sense, but Beckett mainly rolled her eyes.

The boys found out what they could about Madame Nikola but there wasn't much to go on. Her real name was Nikola Ristie. She was seventy-five years old, had no children or living relatives, and her shop had been open for about five years. She didn't have a record or any complaints filed against her that they could find.

With so little to go on and Lanie's investigation still pending they decided to call it a night. Castle took off before Kate even had a chance to talk to him about what was wrong. She toyed with the idea of following him to his loft, but was chicken-shit, so she went straight home.

The next day the victim's husband flew into the City to meet with them at the precinct, and also to make arrangements to have his wife's body flown back home. The detectives introduced themselves, and at hearing Castle's name, the man did a double-take. They assumed he'd recognized Castle's name from his books. He stared a moment, then seemed to shake it off. _Nah…_ He confirmed his wife had been in town for a writer's conference and claimed she had no known enemies. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt her.

He told them Karlie was a writer, a little-known fan-fiction writer actually, she just did it for fun, although lately, it seemed to put her a little on edge. She'd left home for the writer's conference on Sunday and was supposed to be back home the following Saturday. She'd gotten pretty caught up in this TV show she loved so much, and was always ranting about how the main leads weren't getting together fast enough. He chuckled, thinking of his wife, and how he'd have to remind her it was only make-believe. She'd tell him to let her be, he didn't understand, they were real enough to her and they inspired her to write. He figured her addiction was harmless and it kept her out of the bars. He said they led simple lives really; worked, came home, stayed out of trouble, and as for amusement, basically stayed at home. He tinkered in the garage while she read, wrote and watched television. She absolutely loved police procedurals.

He got teary-eyed thinking how his wife would have gotten a kick out of visiting the precinct, and meeting the detectives, if she wasn't, you know, dead. He told them he'd never heard of the shop on the business card before, and had no idea what it meant. He couldn't confirm what his wife had been specifically writing about at the time of her death, but said she was always writing various stories about a detective character, and some writer who followed her around. He said the guy had the same last name as Castle, coincidentally, which was weird, but … whatever. Suddenly it was too much and he was overcome with grief. "How could this have happened?" He cried. Beckett and Castle assured him they'd do everything in their power to solve his wife's case.

After he left, the team got down to business.

Later on, Lanie gathered the three detectives and Castle together at her lab and told them the TOD was from 11:00 – 11:30 pm last night. The cause of death - "frustration". This was not what they'd been expecting, and each of them looked at her like she was crazy.

"Frustration?" Kate said, completely shocked at her friend's less than normally detailed scientific explanation. She thought she'd maybe heard her wrong, and moved to examine the body more closely.

"Lanie, did you just say our victim died from… frustration?" Esposito asked, thinking the woman he loved had finally lost it.

"Yes. I said frustration." Lanie repeated. She was dead serious.

"Have you been… drinking?" Ryan asked, but she just shook her head.

They were all confused and in unison moved closer to the body for another look, much like Kate had done. It seemed kind of obvious to them, the body had been stabbed in the heart, but they'd never had reason to doubt Lanie's findings before.

It was Castle who finally broke the silence. "Um, Lanie? Not that I don't appreciate what it's like to be frustrated, believe me, I do - it's murder. And I hate to be Captain Obvious, but don't you think maybe she died from being stabbed in the heart?" he asked, making sure not to look anywhere in the vicinity of Katherine Beckett.

"I never said frustration was the only thing she died from writer boy. Sheesh, you writers, and your need to be wordy. Of course, she died by being stabbed in the heart, Castle. Do I look like an idiot?" she said, giving him a dirty look, clearly not expecting him to answer her question. "But she also died from sheer frustration."

"Okay then." He said, afraid to say more. He looked to the boys for support but got nothing. Sometimes Lanie scared the crap out of all of them.

Lanie turned back to the detectives and explained, "After examining the body and studying the forensic evidence, I can say without a doubt there were no toxins found in her system and our victim was stabbed in the heart with what appeared to be a pen."

"Did you say pen?" Ryan asked.

"Do I stutter?" Lanie replied.

"No." Ryan answered cautiously.

"Then yes, I said pen." Lanie confirmed.

"I was sort of hoping for something a little more interesting," Castle said, "Like maybe a knife or even a cool sword." It was good to finally see him getting into the spirit of the case. Kate normally would have stopped him from spewing such nonsense, however, she was so happy to see him perk up, she let it slide.

"The pen is mightier than the sword Castle; you should know this." Kate added.  
>He let out a "humph". She had him there.<p>

"Okay," said Kate. "So then one of the pens found in the room is probably our murder weapon, but what's up with the "frustration" angle Lanie?

"Glad you asked!" said Lanie. "Here's the pen that did the deed, by the way, but there's no prints. It was wiped clean." She said, handing over the bag with the bloody pen to Kate. "CSU was able to put the pages of the notebook back together and it's quite something; an interesting read, which I believe might lead you to your killer. You can read it now…" she said handing the pages over to Kate, "but you might want to read it later - in private." she said cryptically, looking pointedly at Castle." Kate thanked Lanie, and the team headed back to the office. As they were leaving, Lanie waited until the boys' backs were turned before she made an imaginary phone with her fist, pinky and thumb by her ear. She whispered for Kate to call her later.

On the elevator ride up to the twelfth floor, Castle stood strategically an arm's length away from Beckett and the boys wondered, not for the first time that day, what was going on with their parental units. Esposito also wondered what the hell was up with Lanie, and if it was too soon to suggest they take a vacation together. Apparently, she needed one.

They went to one of the small unoccupied offices and started sifting through the taped up pages of the notebook. Kate opted to review them with Castle and the boy's help regardless of the warning Lanie had given her. Something about this case was giving her the creeps and she wanted it over and done with. The more help the better.

Castle's attitude was driving her crazy. He was giving her the cold shoulder, and wasn't looking her in the eyes or smiling and laughing like he usually did. Whatever had happened was bad, and she was worried about him.

They each took a section and started reading. They couldn't believe their eyes. Karlie had been writing stories based on Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook's alter egos, therefore her characters names were the real life, Kate and Rick. They were shocked to see their own names in print. The pages were filled with stories of their unrequited love, with some case work thrown in for good measure. Surely this was not possible. Kate turned twelve shades of red (one for each floor of the precinct) and Castle, for once in his life, was speechless.

The boys however, although spooked, were not at a loss for words. They teased Beckett and Castle mercilessly. Kate wanted to shoot herself for not heeding Lanie's warning to read the pages in private. Esposito and Ryan took turns reading aloud some rather lust-filled, scenarios between the characters Kate and Rick, causing the real life Kate and Castle to both want to hide under the table in embarrassment. The stories varied; some were sweet, or romantic, while others were sad or serious. The best ones were downright hot!

It was as though this woman, Karlie, knew them personally, but neither she nor Castle could ever remember meeting her. Karlie described them in detail, had them meeting, falling in love, hiding their real feelings, seeing other people, and going on all sorts of dangerous adventures where they saved each other's lives. In each of the stories they'd read so far, through thick and thin, the main characters always made their way back together again.

Kate felt Castle's glance upon her more than a few times and he, hers. As uncomfortable as it was, even in the presence of Ryan and Esposito, they were both glued to their seats. It was certainly an eye-opener. They wondered how on Earth this woman they'd never met knew all these things about them, most of which Kate and Castle hadn't even discussed with each other.

It went on, story after story, showcasing Kate and Rick and their friends. The stories which included them doing the nasty even left the boys blushing as they read. As embarrassed as they were, both Kate and Rick were getting hot under the collar imaging there was truth in the pages. Castle shifted in his seat a few times. The room grew increasingly warm.

Finally, Esposito could take no more, jumped up and exclaimed he'd had enough. "It's like reading a sex book about your parents, for god sakes. I feel dirty. I have to go home - now. To take a shower, with antibacterial soap." He said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." He said, unable to look directly at either Beckett or Castle.

"Yeah," agreed Ryan, red as a beet. "We can finish reading these in the morning. We're almost through all of them. Frankly, I'm a little freaked out right now too and I'm trying to remember the last time I went to confession. I think our job here is done for the night." He got up to leave but before exiting, stopped and slowly turned around at the last minute to face them. "You know, I don't normally like to butt in, but it might do you both some good to think about what you just read on those pages. Karlie might not know you, but she hit the nail on the head. That fictional version of you two… it could be the real thing, if you just let it. Now, I'm leaving before any shots are fired. Goodnight all. See you tomorrow."

When they were finally left alone, neither knew where to begin. They were blown away, trapped in their own thoughts, thinking the same thing… what if Ryan was right? What if it _could_ be real? What if they just… let it happen? Why have they been fighting this?

Kate was ten seconds away from pulling the blinds shut, throwing him down on the table and having her way with him. He was nine seconds away from locking the door and pushing her up against the wall. They locked eyes, both stood up, and magnetically moved towards one another. Then someone called out her name, breaking the silence, and it wasn't Castle. It was some moronic cop in the precinct. _Oh, so close…._ The officer came in to the room, handed Kate some papers she'd requested and started asking her questions. By the time she turned back to Castle, the spell had been broken. She could see it in his face. He was angry with her again.

When the officer stepped in to the room, Castle snapped out of the love-induced haze he'd fallen into while the stories were being read aloud. He remembered how easily Kate had lied to him and as he looked across the room at his partner, reality struck like a Mac truck. It was easy to get caught up in the fantasy, but the woman he was still in love with, who didn't love him back the same way, fan fiction aside, _that_ _woman_, was off limits to him. He grabbed his jacket, muttered a hasty goodnight, and took off running while she was still occupied with the officer.

She called out to him to wait for her, but he kept on going, with a barely distinguishable "see you tomorrow". It didn't escape Kate that he couldn't get away from her fast enough. She was losing him.

When she was finally alone, she slowly gathered up the pages, made copies for herself on the office copier then headed for home. She stayed up all night reading them, talking with Lanie on the phone and vowing to make things right with Castle the next day. She had to do it. She and Rick were meant to be together. And she had to do it for Karlie. She'd read ALL the pages Karlie had written. She knew why Castle was upset with her now, and she knew how Karlie had died. Most important, one thing was made crystal clear: It was time to storm the Castle.

Although they both hadn't had much sleep, Beckett and Castle both got to the precinct early the next morning. She was going to hash this out with him today even if she had to resort to tying him to his chair. She brought rope, just in case. Castle, on the other hand was determined to avoid all personal discussions with Beckett at any cost. It was the only way he knew how to get over her. It was going to be an interesting day.

Beckett told herself to start small, so she had his coffee ready for him when he walked through the door. There was an awkward moment of silence between them at first as she handed it to him. He avoided touching her as he accepted the coffee, and cut her off when she told him they needed to talk to him about last night. Castle insisted they could talk later, after the case, which to him was just a ploy since he'd already made up his mind to avoid the discussion later as well. They agreed to focus on the case.

Ryan and Esposito arrived and Kate told them she'd read all of the pages last night and knew how the victim died. They were shocked, and pissed they hadn't thought to stay and read the final pages last night – in another room, of course, far enough away from Beckett and Castle and their "sex eyes". They had to ramp up the search for Madame Nikola, question her, and make an arrest. Each time they'd gone to the little shop in the Village it was mysteriously closed. They had black and whites watching the storefront in case she showed up, but so far - nothing.

The neighboring business owners hadn't seen her in the last two days, which was suspicious, since her shop was usually open. The store owners described Madame Nikola as a very nice old lady, perfectly harmless, but slightly off her rocker. The products she sold were "questionable"; however, she seemed to do an okay business. No one was home at her residence either, and they had wondered if she too, had met an untimely death.

They decided to stake out the shop themselves; hopefully today would be the day Madame Nikola would turn up. Castle and Beckett took Kate's car to watch her residence, while Ryan and Esposito would watch the storefront. Kate wished they'd hurry up and finish this case already so she could focus on saving her relationship with Castle. He'd be a captive audience for awhile on the stake-out with her so maybe they could multi-task.

Madame Nikola saw Kate and Rick sitting outside in the parking lot of her apartment building. She knew upon waking, this would be the day, and she'd been waiting for them. She snuck back into her building last night. Those nice policemen had been watching the building for awhile so she'd gone to stay with a friend. She can be pretty resourceful for an old broad, so it wasn't very difficult to get by them.

The two outside now though were a different story. They were her destiny and it was time. She deliberately moved the curtains over so they would see the movement and know she was there. It worked, since not two minutes later; she heard the knock at the door.

"Madame Nikola?" asked the nice detective at the door. _Oh, my! Karlie was right, they do make a lovely looking couple!_

"Yes? I'm Madame Nikola." She said with a heavy Eastern European accent. "Come in Kate, have some tea. You too Rick!" she said, to Castle. Both he and Kate looked at each other, shocked and did the mind meld thing... _Why does this sweet little old lady act as though she already knows us, and has been expecting us?_

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is my, uh, partner, Rick Castle."

"Yes, dear. I know. Please, come in. I'll get the tea." She said before stopping in her tracks. "Oh, wait, you're both coffee drinkers aren't you. Oh, my, I'd forgotten about that. Forgive me, I'm out of coffee, and the mind starts to go when you get to be my age, so I forgot to stop at the grocery store."

_More mind melding… How the hell does she know we're coffee drinkers? I'm freaking out here, how about you?_

"Miss Ristie, we'd like to ask you a few questions regarding a woman named Karlie Lynn Salinger."

"Of course dear. Please sit down and please call me Nikola."

"Where were you Monday evening?" Kate asked. Madame Nikola thought about this for a moment. She could stretch the questioning out, but she always hated when the detectives on the shows she watched did that with their suspects. She knew it was all about creating the suspense, but it was really annoying, frustrating really. She decided to make it easier on them.

"No, I was not with Karlie the night she passed. I was with her earlier in the day however. She came to see me and begged me to help her. She told me all about you two nice people and how you were meant to be together. And after meeting with her and reading those stories, I had to agree. It's all she ever wanted, poor dear. She told me there were thousands of other fans that wanted you to be together too. They egged her on with all the crazy stories they wrote about you. They're really rooting for you, you know. Karlie said she'd had enough and if you weren't together by Monday at midnight that she'd end it all. Said she'd stab herself in the heart with her own pen for heaven's sake. The waiting was torture for her. I tried to talk her out of the suicide, I really did, but she was too far gone. She'd made up her mind. I assume you both read her final story?"

Kate and Rick both nodded dumbly. This is not what either of them had been expecting and they were trying to process it. They also both wished other suspects would confess more freely like this. It really made things so much easier.

"So then you already know. You two are the very reason she came to the City. You were her mission. You were both too stubborn and acting ridiculous about your relationship. She couldn't understand how you and the powers that be could let it go on this long. You both deserve to be happy, you love one another. You're peas and carrots, so stop acting so silly and talk it out already."

Both Kate and Rick are speechless.

"Oh, my, she did say you might clam up when faced with the truth. Let me help you…" She addressed Kate first.

"You, my dear had an awful thing happen to your mother when you were younger, but she wants you to be happy, so you should. Rick makes you happy and your mom thinks he's a hoot. Says he's good for you too. She told me so. Yes, among my other talents, I also speak to the dead. It's a gift. She's okay, so you need to move on. If you don't catch her killer, it's okay, she knows you love her. Also, the other men you've dated in the past, they don't matter, Rick's the one for you. But, I'm going on, aren't I? You already know all of this. Let yourself love him." She said.

"As for you, Rick… Kate just needed a little push; you make her nervous with all of the love feelings. She's not used to it, but she'll adjust. Kate loves you, and not just as your partner, she's completely in love with you. Any ideas about seeing other women in order to "get over her" are not going to work. She's your…" she looks to Kate for clarification, Kate doesn't say anything, but Madame Nikola continues, "oh, yes, she's your "One and Done". The other men she dated were only to get over her feelings for you. You two have awful timing. One of you is ready, the other is not, then the other one is ready, then the other one is not. Oy, veh, it's very hard to keep up. You're both very… complicated. Kate only lied to you because she wasn't ready for you yet. She wanted to be one hundred percent - for you. No one is one hundred percent dear, stop believing in things that are not possible." She said patting Kate's hand then turning to Rick. "I admit she's been dallying a little for the last six months, but now she's ready to go diving. I'm still not quite clear on the swimming thing. Eh, doesn't matter. As long as you both come to your senses."

They are still speechless, but the mind-melding thing is running at warp speed.

"So, I'll let you absorb all of that and continue with the suicide explanation. As I said, Karlie came to see me, begged me for help. All she wanted was to get you two characters together. I agreed to help her. She was a nice gal, although a little off her rocker, if you know what I mean. Anyhow, I gave her some potion and a couple of spells and sent her on her way. She was going to find you and put some love potion in your drinks somehow. She was going to cast a few spells, that's all. She thought you just needed a little help. She was right about that."

"Now I know what you're thinking… that I gave her some sort of poison or something. Not my style. Like I said, she was a little "off" so I listened to her tale, read her stories and she left here with some fruit juice in a tiny bottle. Perfectly harmless. Much like you would give to a child. There was no way I was giving Karlie the good stuff. It's not how I, what is it you kids say these days… ah, yes, "it's not how I roll." And you two obviously don't need the real stuff. You'll be fine on your own."

"I was with my friend, Helga from around six till late last night. You can check with her. I've written down her information for you." She said handing Kate the paper.

"Poor Karlie. She'd had enough. Some people have no patience, me I don't mind a little suspense, but after a while, it does get sort of old. She told me she was watching what would be her final viewing of the show she loves so much that reminds her of you. She kept waiting for the writers to wise up, to give the people what they wanted. I guess she'd had all she could stand. Like I said, "not all there" poor thing." She said, tapping her head with her index finger. "So, will you be arresting me now? I really didn't do anything wrong, except listen to the poor girl's stories." She said, as she waited for their response.

"Ummm..." Castle said.

"Ummm…" Kate concurred.

A few minutes went by, she checked her watch, but continued to wait patiently. She could see now what Karlie had meant about all the waiting. She just hoped they'd get it together in time for her to watch her show, "One Life to Lose". She'd hate to miss it.

Castle was the first to break the silence. "No. We're not going to arrest you Madame Nikola." He said, looking over at Kate for the first time. They locked eyes. He knew he was taking liberties here, after all Kate was the cop, not him. Finally, she smiled at him and not an ordinary smile, but a Kate Beckett exclusive, which he returned with one of his own.

"We have your statement Madame Nikola." Kate agreed. "We'll have to check out your alibi and re-run the tox-screen on Karlie, but other than not notifying the police of a potential suicide they probably wouldn't have been able to prevent anyhow, I would concur you are free to go. We'll be in touch."

They embraced the old woman before leaving and thanked her for what she'd done for them. She bid them both goodbye and wished them the best of luck. _They really were a lovely couple and he really was ruggedly handsome, she thought._

The door wasn't closed for a minute before they were in each other's arms, kissing as though their lives depended on it. They were headed towards sex in a hallway, which is not what either of them really wanted. They agreed to go back to his place and hit the sheets there, since no one was at the loft right now, and they'd have the place to themselves. Their first time would be special. They kissed again, lost in each other and poured their hearts and souls into it. Between kisses, apologies and I love yous were flying everywhere.

She apologized for lying to him and swore she'd never do it again. He told her didn't care as long as they were together. He told her he'd never stopped investigating her mother's murder and that a madman was still after her. She told him she's ready to deal with her mother's death and they'd get through it because they were stronger together than any madman could ever be. They agreed there would be no more secrets or holding back ever again because they were in it for the long haul. Then they sealed it with a kiss and lived happily ever after.

And to think, they owed it all to a bunch of crazy fans.

The End.

(If I went any further it would be from a padded room with Wi-Fi)

_Last week's episode left me, you may have guessed – frustrated. Good guessing! I moped for days not wanting to write "Angry Castle", I love them too much, and YES, I know they're not real. So I had a bit of writer's block. Then a great fic writer on this site suggested I try writing angry and see what happens. 24 hours and 47 seconds later, I decided to laugh about it instead, so you get this silly story and my other stories were abandoned. I'm told I have Hungarian gypsy blood, so I went with it. The Hungarian name Nikola means, "Victor of the people". She's on our side shippers. I was going to have it be a mercy killing with the old lady doing the deed with the pen, but she was just too sweet. This was my first story where I thought up a case, it's probably shot full of holes, but it was fun writing. Hope it doesn't look like a slice of swiss cheese. No matter what happens on the show, I'll still be hanging in there. It's the best show on television! I'm just venting. (please see above) ;-)_

_Please review! I'm dying to hear from you! Thanks for reading, Karen_


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